Reviewed on Thursday January 22 (photo by Ashley Mar)

“Nothing beats the first album” – it’s an old-mate thing to say, and oftentimes it’s just nostalgia talking. However, in the case of Nas’ 1994 debut, Illmatic, this claim stands up irrefutably. Considering it was a major label debut from a highly touted MC, it’s interesting to note that Illmatic didn’t contain any massive singles. OK, judging by the way tonight’s crowd fiercely shouted refrains such as “Life’s a bitch and then you die,” “The world is yours,” and “One love,” it ain’t hard to tell every song on Illmatic could have been a single. Still, it’s an albumalbum, through and through.

It’s nearly 21 years since Illmatic’s release, and in a recent interview Nas explained he’s now spent more time living in wealth than poverty. In spite of this, when he arrived onstage for this album retrospective to launch into the breakneck verses of ‘N.Y. State Of Mind’, the grub of the Queensbridge projects was brought into clear view. A few songs later, in ‘Halftime’, Nas threw out the line, “Now in every jam I’m the fuckin’ man”. Written as a 19-year-old, the statement underlines how Nas has always been a stunning presence behind the microphone. Gripping one tonight, you could easily believe he was still 20 years old. Beyond his unchanged physical appearance, it wasn’t like he was reciting past epiphanies; rather, all of Nas’ wit and swagger was happening live.

The Sydney crowd deserves applause, too. Keeping up with what Nas is saying can be tricky business. From the evening’s opening rhyme – “Rappers, I monkey flip ’em with the funky rhythm I be kickin’ / Musician, inflicting composition of pain” – onwards, there wasn’t much time to take a breath. Nevertheless, the audience picked up the slack every time Nas pointed the microphone outwards.

It’s an understatement to say that Nas’ output since Illmatic has been underwhelming – after such a mighty introduction, he was always doomed – but tonight’s post-Illmatic hits medley was far from ordinary. Even if ‘Hate Me Now’ and ‘Nas Is Like’ remain rather grandiose, the likes of ‘One Mic’ and ‘Stay’ impressively showcased Nas’ canny abilities behind the mic, while the impossible catchy ‘I Can’ and ‘If I Ruled The World’ turned the party right up.

Towards the end of the night Nas divulged, “Back in the ’90s we didn’t know we could be famous. The music all came from [the heart]”. It’s a cliché, sure, but he certainly wasn’t at a loss for supporting evidence. Illmatic is steeped in the frantic unrest of life in the New York projects, but it doesn’t wallow in this foundation. It’s a statement of existential fortitude, which is loaded with such tactile poeticism that it defies the limitations of protest music. Once the protest is over, this will remain a stunning body of work.

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